Block 2Geography Report1-5-99Location:Absolute:The center of the country of Czech Republic is located at 50 degrees North and 16degrees East.
Relative:The Czech Republic is in the North-Eastern Hemisphere. It is also located on thecontinent of Asia. The Czech Republic is in the geographic center of Europe. Thecountry also shares borders with four other countries (Poland, Germany, Austria, andSolvakia).
The Czech territory is placed between two principal mountain systems inEurope, The Hercynian and Alpine-Himalayan. Place:Physical:The Czech Republic has four major mountain ranges, 3 of them are protected bythe country. Krkonose (Giant Mountains)This range stretches 40 kilometers into Bohemian territory, thus creating a naturalborder between itself and Poland, and is also the Czech Republic’s highest mountain range. The highest peak is Mt.
Snezka. Several of the other peaks reach elevations of over 1,500meters. This range was proclaimed a national park in 1963. Hruby Jesenik (Ash Mountains)This range is the second highest of the ranges, and is located in northern Moravia.
The highest peak in this range is called Praded Peak, and is 1,491 meters high. This rangeis also protected and has been since 1969. Sumava (Bohemian Forest)This is the third highest range in the Czech Republic, the highest point in this rangeis Plechy Peak (1,373 meters above sea level). This range extends 125 kilometers intoBohemia from the border, thus creating a natural border with Germany. This range is alsoprotected by the Czech Republic, and has been since 1962.
It also was declared a nationalpark in 1991. The end of the range that sticks into Germany is also protected. BeskydyThis range is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic in northernMoravia. The highest point is 1,000 meters above sea level. It’s terrain is rolling hillsides,forests, and pastures. This terrain is ideal for hiking, camping, skiing.
The Czech Republic lies in the temperate climate zone of Europe, which makespleasantly mild summers and winters with only moderate amounts of precipitation. Thelowlands temperature average in July is 20 degrees Celsius and in the mountains is 10degrees Celsius. The lowland temperature average in January is -1 degrees Celsius and inthe mountains is -6 degrees Celsius. The Czech Republic has many different kinds of vegetation.
Spruce and fir treesare most common in the republic’s forests, particularly at higher elevations, while mixedforests of oak, ash, and maple are characteristic in lower zones. The uncultivated lowlandsare covered mostly with clover, reeds, and broom grass. Human:In 1997, the Czech Republic had a total population of 10. 3 million people, fivemillion males and 5.
3 million females. Three quarters of the people live in urban areas. The population density is 131 inhabitants per sq. kilometer, while the total growth inpopulation in the Czech Republic is 0. 8 persons per 1,000 inhabitants.
The capital,Prague, has a population of 1,213,800 people. Until 1994, an outstanding feature of the Czech Republic was its stable populationgrowth, with the exception of the two world wars. Since 1994, however, the populationhas been decreasing and is expected to have fallen to around 10 million in the year 2020. After World War II, the number of births fell from over 200,000 a year to less than150,000 in 1970. In 1974 this figure had increased to 195,000 but by 1996 had fallen gradually to90,000. The number of new born babies per 1,000 inhabitants was 8.
8 % in 1996. The number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants gradually increased from World War II until1983 (13. 0%). Since then it has decreased and in 1996 it was only 10.
9 %, thus corresponding towestern European levelsThanks to its long rich history and the diversity of its natural environment, the CzechRepublic is a great attraction to the millions of guests who visit it each year. The jewel in theCzech crown is Prague with its gorgeous and rich architectural styles but the country is alsodotted with numerous historical city centers, castles, and chateaux. Outside the urban areas, deepwoods, rock formations and limestone caves are among the many interesting sites the CzechRepublic has to offer. Since the Czech lands lie exactly on the border of Eastern and WesternEurope, the country has come under the influence of several different cultures throughout thecourse of history.
Each of these influences indelibly marked the face of the country with thearchitectural or artistic monuments. This accounts for the uniquely rich cultural heritage of thisrelatively small country. In addition, the Czech lands are extraordinary in Europe due to that theyare particularly untouched by the large-scale destruction of war. The number of people employed in 1996 was 4,941,000. That’s about 48% of thecountry. Human-Environment Interaction:Wildlife is becoming scarce because of pollution and deforestation, but wolf,brown bear, wild boar, wildcat, white eagle, chamois, and fox are found in themountainous Carpathian region.
The most fertile soil is found in northern Bohemia andMoravia. Coal is the most common and profitable natural resource in the Czech Republic,particularly brown coal and lignite. Increased excavation and use of coal have wreakedenvironmental havoc on air and water quality, which has subsequently affected the healthof the populace. Magnetite, iron ore, and a few nonmetallic minerals are also common inparts of the republic.
The terrain is outstanding for downhill and cross-country skiing as well assnowboarding. Unique granite rocks offer varying degrees of scaling difficulty. Theterrain also offers many beautiful paths for mountain biking with views of unspoiled natureand historical monuments. Also ideal conditions for windsurfing and sailing one of themany lakes.
Movement:People:The Czech Republic is a land locked country so not much of the transportationrelies on oceans or seas. Most of the means of transportation relies on rails and roads. The main intersection for transportation is the capital, Prague. This has created somewhatof an engineering problem caused by the steep hills and valleys surrounding Prague.
TheCzech Republic also has standard public transportation like busses, cars, trains, and bikes. The roads in the Czech Republic usually meet the European Standards, but someside roads have problems like not being even, not putting the center line in the center, andmisplaced signs. The United States Aviation Administration conducted an assessment in November1995 of the Czech Republic’s aviation department. They found it to be in compliance withtheir standards.
So, as of 1995, you can take a flight from the United States to the CzechRepublic. Goods: Russia is one of Czech Republic’s main traders. In the early 1960’s U. S. S. R wasresponsible for more than one third of Czech’s imports.
Other imports came form Poland,Germany, Hungry, and China. The main imports are fuels, raw materials, and foodstuffs. The main exports were engineering equipment. Although the Czech is a landlockedcountry, it has many other waterways like rivers and lakes. Many of the rivers are used toraft logs down them. Some of the rivers prove to be too windy and fast, so rafting logsdoesn’t always work.
Ideas:Political freedom after the year 1989 resulted in an enormous boom in all types ofmedia, which had been censored for forty years. At present organizations monitoringfreedom of the press rank the Czech Republic among those countries with the higheststandards of press freedom. The Czech Republic has many types of media. For examples: Daily Periodicals,Weekly/Monthly Periodicals, Radio, Television, and the telephone. The Czech has 90national/regional dailies, Many magazines, dual state and private broadcasting systems,and in 1996, they had 2,816,000 telephone participants. Regions:Formal:Most of the Czech Republics transportation is connected in the capital, Prague.
All or most of the many roads and rails radiate from this city. Also, the United States ofAmerica is connected the Czech Republic by means of the United States of Americaembassy located in the capital, Prague. If you are in the Czech Republic, United Statescitizens can go to the embassy to obtain updated information on travel and security withinthe Czech Republic. All of the cities in the Czech Republic are under the same nationallaws.
The Czech Republic is divided into seven different regions: West Bohemia, NorthBohemia, Central Bohemia, East Bohemia, South Bohemia, North Moravia, and SouthMoravia, they all have some similar attributes and are governed by the same government. Functional:The Czech Republics communication system therefore has significance for much ofthe continent. The railways from Vienna and Budapest to Leipzig, Berlin, and Warsaw gothrough the Czech Republic. The Czechs own and exploit considerable sections of theElbe and Danube international waterways which are used to transport many goods andpeople to other places.
